However, by comparison, the Xbox 360 sold 360,000 units during its entire launch month in 2006.

Microsoft also reported that Xbox Live gold subscription card sales rose by 50% compared to last year's Black Friday week in the US, while Xbox Live entertainment app usage rose by 43% compared to last year.

The company added that sales of Halo 4 during Black Friday "exceeded expectations", though no actual or expected sales numbers were provided to give the statement context.

Halo 4 had the second biggest entertainment launch of the year behind Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, bringing in more than $200 million (£125 million) worldwide in its first 24 hours.